The Enemy of My Enemy
by Lolkat123
Summary: Kaage Darkfang was always bullied and mistreated because of his pelt. Among foxes, or at least, in his horde, it was a strange thing indeed to have a pitch black pelt. He grows up with a burning desire for revenge upon those who wronged him... even if means siding with his kind's natural enemy.
1. Chapter 1

Kaage Darkfang was never quite… normal. Among foxes, he could certainly be described as handsome, if one would only get over the shock of his pelt. He was often taunted and teased by the other vermin in the horde, though his mother would only pat his head and tell him not to mind. One day, he'd be a tough fox and he could do whatever he wanted.

Kaage himself knew he was not like the other russet-furred foxes in the horde. Sure, some had silver pelts, but none a pitch black like his. Kaage's fur was black as death itself, some would say. Many of the superstitious beasts thought he was a bad omen, and ought to be cast out or killed.

However, the little ebony fox was clever. With no friends, he often was lost in his thoughts, pondering. The way other vermin spoke irritated him, their dialect was terrible. Sure, he would always slip into it when they spoke to him, so he did not seem even more different than he already was. The slang that was used made them all seem like absolute imbeciles. Morons. A load of filthy idiots. Yes, they were the evil, cruel, scum of the earth, but did they have to always speak and act like absolute blockheads?

Kaage was not quite so bad off, at least, not at first. His father was the leader of the horde, after all. No one dared insult him when his father, Riftclaw Darkfang, would walk by, swinging his ax with a dangerous gleam in his eye. Kaage was proud of the resemblance he bore to his father, even if his pelt was colored differently. He had inherited Riftclaw's dazzling emerald eyes, and he had a similar lean build. Despite Riftclaw's slim frame, he still carried an ax as his weapon of choice. The ax itself was a light thing; it swung easily and was thinner than most axes. Riftfang had forged it himself, and had made notches in the metal that caused it to make almost a whistling sound as it was swung or threw through the air. It was Riftclaw's pride and joy.

"Hey, Darkie, where ya goin, eh?" A young rat and weasel strutted up to the smaller fox. Kaage blinked, glancing around. G_reat. Father is nowhere to be seen. Thanks, old chap._ He faced the sneering vermin with a slight cheery smile.

"Oh, nowhere, really. Did yeh two blunderin' mice need somefin'?" Kaage even had the audacity to wink at the pair as he slipped into the slang of the horde's vermin.

The rat bared his fangs in fury. "Ya' wanna say that again, runt?" He slipped out a dagger from the belt that tied around his waist. The weasel followed suit, glaring and snarling.

"Oh dear, ya idjits are simply terrifyin'. Gonna kill the chief's only son, eh? I'm sure that'll get ya some real praise." Kaage continued smiling brightly, flicking his dark tail. _Father should be back anytime now. He'll give these morons a good blow around the ears._ Kaage resisted a chuckle.

The weasel spoke next. "Yer ol' pop ain't here to save you, Darkie." His sharp little fangs flashed in a grin of malice. "Riftclaw went out on a raid. Won't be back till-"

"Somebeast get the healer!" A cry rang out as a group of thirty or so weasels, ferrets, rats, and foxes raced into the camp, some carrying wounded beasts on their backs. Kaage looked on, an odd feeling rising in his gut. _Something isn't right. I've got a feeling. It all feels wrong._

He watched, as Shira, the graying vixen that was the horde's healer, moved about the groaning hordebeasts. One still body caught his eye. _Father...?_ Kaage's eyes widened in horror.

The young fox ran to Riftclaw, then stared at the mangled body. Riftclaw's right eye had a gash, and one ear was completely gone. His hide was riddled with gashes and cuts, and his pelt matted with blood. Kaage's fought the urge to throw up at the gruesome sight.

Shira hurried over. She bent, sniffing his body, then shook her head. "This one is dead." Kaage looked at the healer blankly. "Dead," She repeated. "Dead!"

A tall, slim fox walked slowly over. Everything was silent. The fox, called Sazer Malfire, laid a paw on the small black youth's shoulder. "I was ol' Riftclaw's right paw. We trusted each other with our lives. Tis a shame that he were struck down by the blade of our enemies, but I shall take his place as chief." He looked around steadily, silently challenging anybeast to speak up and argue.

Kaage looked up at Sazer, fighting back tears. Sazer gave him a grim smile. The tall fox was one of the few that wasn't cruel to the young fox, and even would occasionally give him lessons with a dagger or bow. "Well, young'n, lets get yeh away from 'ere. You don't need to be seein' the dead yet. Why don't yeh help me come and tell yer mother? She'll need her son's comfort, aye?"

Kaage nodded. _I have to be strong, at least for mother._ Sazer led him away, towards the chief's tent. Kaage stumbled in first, and his mother, Renna, looked up. She was, like his father, slim, built for speed. "Has Riftclaw returned? Where's yer father?" Kaage said nothing, only ran to his mother and buried his face in her soft fur. Bewildered, she looked up to Sazer.

"Yer mate's dead, Renna. He went down from a blow from that damned Gilfik of the tribe south from here. That rat was ruthless with his cutlass." Sazer stepped forward and patted her paw gently, but Renna's head fell to her paws.

"I knew he were going t' die in a battle with that slime. Gilfik was always greedy, and hated Riftclaw." Renna ran a paw down Kaage's ears, tears forming in her eyes. "I take it you are takin' my mate's place as chief?"

"Aye," nodded Sazer. "The horde'll miss 'im, that's fer sure. 'E were a good leader. I'll leave yeh, Renna. The horde'll need some direction." The tall fox strode out of the tent.

Renna held Kaage's head in her paws, gazing into his emerald eyes. "Listen to what I have t' tell yeh. I know yer smarter than a good deal of the hordebeasts out there, maybe all of them. I know how they've bullied yeh. And now that Riftclaw is gone, its only goin' ter get worse. But keep your chin up, and I'll make sure you get taught t' use a good weapon. No one'll be able ter hurt ya if ya know how t' handle yerself." Renna sighed. "When yer a big beast like Sazer or Riftclaw, no one will be able to bully yeh."

Kaage turned away from his mother. _No, they won't. Maybe… Maybe I'll teach them, then. Make them pay for what they do to me. Oh, I'll always remember._

* * *

**How is it so far? I'm actually excited to try writing a non-Warriors story. I might not be able to update as often, but I'll try to get a chapter posted every week.**


	2. Chapter 2

Kaage notched an arrow to his bowstring, taking a breath. He pulled back, narrowing his eyes as he aimed for the center of the crude target. The ebony fox released, and the arrow shot forward, embedding itself in the red circle at the center of the target.

Sazer clapped him smartly on the back. "Well done young 'n! Yer provin' t' be one o' the best archers in the horde, by my tail!"

Kaage allowed the tall fox a rare smile. Seasons had passed since old Riftclaw had died and Sazer took leadership of the horde. Kaage was now a full-grown fox, and still had the same slim, agile frame that his parents had. Sazer had trained him well with various weapons, though of most, Kaage preferred the bow and arrows. While Sazer was a good mentor, and not cruel to him like many of the hordebeasts, Kaage did not consider him a friend. An ally, perhaps, but not his friend.

The horde was thriving under Sazer's command. The tall fox knew how to keep in favor of the vermin, and excelled at strategizing in battle. However, there were always hot-headed young vermin, who wanted leadership. Sazer had begun sleeping with one eye open and always carried his long dagger with him. When Kaage inquired as to why, he would only shrug and tell the younger canine that it never hurt to be safe.

Kaage was still bullied, if not worse than before. Now it was not young children who picked on him, but vermin of all ages and strengths. It might just be a harsh name his way, a nasty look, or teasings, but at other times it would get violent. Kaage learned why Sazer was always carrying a dagger, and began to follow suit.

This time was no exception. It was the same trio that often tormented him, the same weasel and rat, along with their new cohort, a stoat. The weasel, Lout, tended to carry around a spear, which he thought was a very good weapon but Kaage knew that it would snap quite easily in the poor condition it was in. The rat, Jageer, was probably the most clever of the trio, and was always armed with at least three daggers. The stoat, Harn, was quite proud of the cutlass he had taken of off some dead beast's body, and loved to boast about how marvelous the blade was.

Lout snickered idiotically at the fox, as though he weren't aware of Sazer's presence. "Ol' Darkie playin' archer, huh? You'll never be able ter kill a beast when 'e gets closer ter yeh." He continued snickering. Lout was quite obviously the most dimwitted of the group. Harn twirled his cutlass with a grin. "Wonder how good foxflesh tastes roasted o'er a fire. Maybe we should skin Blackie 'ere and find out, eh?" Jageer kicked the stoat in the leg, then motioned over to Sazer.

Harn widened his eyes and flew into a slew of apologies. "Er, er, my bad, yer mightiness, it were just a joke! I don' really wanna roast a fox over a fire!"

Sazer narrowed his eyes. "Get out o' here, fore I skin yeh and see how sizzled stoat tastes!" Harn and Lout tripped over each other bowing stupidly and hurried away, followed by Jageer, who had notibally done nothing.

Sazer pointed at them with a paw. "Harn an' Lout may be halfwits, but that Jageer's got some schemes cookin' in that skull o' his. That one is the reason yeh should keep an eye open. 'E may only seem like a bully, but I know cold cruelty when I see it." Sazer nodded grimly before pacing away. "Keep up the work with the bow."

Kaage sighed. _I have a feeling Sazer won't be around much longer to keep them off my pelt. Its like that time when they were carrying my father in. I felt it, something bad._

He pulled out another arrow and notched it to his bow.

* * *

Harn nudged Jageer as the trio sat around a flickering fire. "So, when we gonna do in ol' Darkie, huh?"

Lout only snickered stupidly.

Jageer cuffed the stoat around the ears. "Idjit, if we do 'im in, Sazer'll have our hides. He's the one we wanna gut. Then we'll have the horde an' Blackie'll have no one t' protect 'is soft hide."

Lout blinked. "Er, er, wen we gonna gut the chief, den?"

Jageer closed his eyes, a small smile on his face. "Tonight, when everyone's sleepin'. All we have t' do is wait."

Jageer had left a bottle of grog outside Sazer's tents, and the two guards outside had eagerly drunk it, unaware Jageer had sprinkled some of Shira's powder in that would quickly make a beast fall asleep for a good few hours.

Once they were soundly passed out, Jageer led his two cronies to the chief's tent. They silently stepped in.

* * *

Kaage hadn't been able to sleep that night. He had a feeling in his gut that kept him awake. If he hadn't been awake, he wouldn't have noticed Jageer leading Harn and Lout into Sazer's tent. Without a thought, he silently stood and slunk forward, notching an arrow to his bow.

He peered inside the tent. Lout was raising his spear above Sazer's sleeping form, reading himself to stab. Kaage pulled back and released the arrow.

Lout let out a scream as the arrow imbedded itself in his back. He toppled right over onto Sazer, who sat up in surprise. Harn swung his cutlass.

_Thud._

Sazer's head rolled to the floor of the tent.

Kaage stared at the beheaded body, frozen in place. He then looked to Lout. The weasel wasn't moving. He had killed him.

Harn and Jageer turned to the black fox. Jageer let out a yell. "Traitor! He's killed the chief! Kaage killed Sazer!" He charged the fox.

Kaage spun around, and ran as hard as his legs would go. His slim, agile frame gave him the advantage. Beasts were stumbling around in confusion, and Kaage lept over a few who were still sitting or laying on the ground. Then he kept on racing away, straight towards the unknown forest that lay just outside of his camp. He heard the whizzing of arrows and dropped to the ground.

A few hordebeasts had caught up to him, by some miracle. One pressed the butt of his pike into Kaage's shoulders. "Thought yeh could run away, eh, little turncoat?"

"Jageer's lying!" Snarled Kaage. "Him and those two dimwits went to kill Sazer! How could I have beheaded him with only a bow and arrow?" In his fury, he spoke without the usual vermin slang. He didn't notice the confused glances some gave each other.

"Oh, think yer better than the rest o' us, huh? Think yew can go 'round talkin' like some real edjicated beast afters yew slew the chief, huh?" Whatever vermin was pinning him pressed down harder. "Tie 'im up, mateys. Lets see if 'e's as black on the inside as 'e is on the outside!" The vermin behind him chuckled.

In moments, Kaage's paws were bound, and he was dragged back to camp. Jageer sneered down at the ebony fox. "Thought yeh could get away with killin' ol' Sazer, eh? Tie 'im to the tree, mates, we'll deal with the black 'earted traitor in the mornin'." The vermin nodded and sat him up against the trunk of an old oak tree, then bound him around it. He was then left there.

_Jageer is too much of an idiot to leave me with guards. His loss._ As soon as everybeast was returning to their campfires, Kaage proceeded to gnaw at his bindings that tied his paws together.

In a few minutes, the ropes were severed, and though his paws and mouth were sore, he continued on the ropes that tied him to the trunk. Those took a bit longer, but by the time the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon, the fox was free. Kaage rubbed his paws for a moment, then began stalking towards camp again. He found one campfire which it's inhabitants were soundly snoring, and relieved them of their weapons.

From the rat, he took the long dagger that was sheathed in his belt; from a ferret, a bow and quiver, and from a fox, another dagger. The bow was a much more crude thing than what he was used to, but he decided it would be safer than trying to locate his._ I can always try and make my own at some point._

The dark fox hurried away. When he again reached the forest, he took one last look at his birthplace.

_I will be back. And I will have revenge. Not for my father, not even for Sazer. For myself, for what they have caused me when my only fault was my black fur._ With his silent oath, he silently treaded into the the thick forest.


End file.
